Portland Jazz Hero
Writer, broadcaster and performer Lynn Darroch has been at the center of the Portland jazz community for more than 40 years. A seasoned jazz historian, Lynn’s commitment to interviewing the multitude of artists in our community is unparalleled. His respect for their various approaches, techniques and influences consistently enlightens and educates.
Since 2008, Lynn has hosted Bright Moments Café, a weekly jazz radio show on KMHD, where he speaks with local and national jazz artists. The narratives he provides for the program on his Facebook page are invariably introspective, poetic and lyrical. Lynn has performed “Jazz Stories,” his spoken word/live music collaborations, in various nightclubs and concert halls, as well as at the PDX Jazz Festival, the Mt.Hood Jazz Festival and Multnomah County libraries. He has released three albums of original stories with live musical accompaniment; his most recent work can be found at his SoundCloud and YouTube channels.
A retired college English teacher, Lynn is the author of Rhythm in the Rain – Jazz in the Pacific Northwest (Portland State University, Ooligan Press, 2016). From 1982 to 2010, he wrote reviews, previews and features for The Oregonian newspaper as well as for other local and national publications, and his work appears in The Guide to United State Popular Culture and The Oregon Encyclopedia. He is also the former longtime editor of the monthly Jazzscene, the newsletter of the Jazz Society of Oregon.
Lynn’s presence as an emcee or simply an attendee at jazz concerts and events is valued, while his gentle, genuine demeanor denotes to many that royalty is in the house. In previous years, Lynn has been instrumental in promoting diverse mainstays of the Portland jazz scene to Jazz Hero status. This year, Portland’s JJA membership reverses the tables, asserting that Lynn Darroch himself has earned the honor of Portland Jazz Hero.
— Marcia K. Hocker
Vice President Montavilla Jazz Festival, KBOO -FM Jazz Lives!
— Rick Mitchell
author, journalist, Jazz in the New Millennium, JJA board member
